The US House of Representatives January 6 committee seeks the cooperation of Fox News host Sean Hannity for his knowledge on the deadly attack on the US Capitol that happened a year ago.

As the nine-person committee widens its scope, it asks Hannity, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, to testify and answer queries related to the communication between him Trump, and several White House officials before, during, and after the insurrection, according to CNN.

Congressman Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the panel, and vice-chair Liz Cheney sent a letter to Hannity saying that the Select Committee was able to obtain information about the Fox News host's "advance knowledge" about the planning of Trump and his legal team for the January 6 uprising, which is considered as the worst attack on the Capitol in two centuries.

Based on the text messages, which were made public, the committee had the impression that Hannity was "expressing concerns and providing advice" to Trump about the incident. This makes him a fact witness in the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, Hannity's lawyer Jay Sekulow, told the media that their camp would "respond as appropriate" after reviewing the committee's letter, as per CNBC

Read Also: US Police Share Harrowing Details of Jan 6 Riot Amid Criticism of Republicans for Downplaying Incident

Hannity's crucial text messages

The publicly released letter of the House panel shows Hannity's text messages. According to  Al Jazeera, among them is a text message of Hannity to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that reads, "Can he make a statement? Ask people to leave the Capitol?"

Another text message from Hannity to Meadows in December 2020 highlighted in the letter reads: "I do NOT see January 6 happening the way he is being told. After the 6 th. (sic) He should announce will lead the nationwide effort to reform voting integrity. Go to Fl and watch Joe mess up daily. Stay engaged. When he speaks people will listen."

Hannity is widely known for his provocative style and hard-hitting political commentary in his program. He has been a supporter and an adviser of Trump for years and an influential conservative voice in America.

House Panel pursues probe as Jan 6 attack commemoration approaches

Representative Thompson remarked that the committee has "immense respect" for the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the freedom of the press, and the rights of Americans to "express their political opinions freely." However, he also underscored that the panel has a responsibility to conduct an investigation on the dozens of text messages they have obtained, dating from December 31, 2020, to January 20, 2021, between Hannity, Trump, and Meadows in relation to Trump's failed efforts to contest the results of the 2020 Presidential Elections.

Since the January 6 committee's establishment last summer, it has already collected around 35,000 pages of records, including texts, emails, and phone records from people within Trump's circle. The committee acquired these comprehensive documents on the incident via interviews with almost 300 individuals and issuance of subpoenas to more than 40.

These comprehensive documents hold crucial information about the attack on the Capitol that left five people dead.

Related Article: Capitol Hill Attack Investigation Deepens, Looks Into Security Failures and Trump's Potential Involvement